Success for 160 'troubled' families

MORE than 160 of Barnsley's 'troubled families' have had their lives turned around by a programme aimed at getting truanting children back into school and young people into work.

Troubled families are defined as those involved in youth crime or antisocial behaviour; have children who are excluded from school or regularly truanting or have an adult on out-of-work benefits.

It also relates to those who are a high cost to the public purse, as the government claims each troubled family costs about £75,000 a year.

Under the national programme, councils are paid up to £4,000 for each family they get off the troubled list by getting adults into work, children into school and reducing crime and antisocial behaviour in communities.

New government figures released show Barnsley Council has identified 645 troubled families in the borough and up to March it had worked with 579 of them and helped 'turn around' 165.

The figures also show that expelled or truanting children from 128 families and 37 unemployed adults have been helped back into work.